Coordination Council Approves Election Rules: List Voting and 40% Gender Quota

The Coordination Council has adopted regulations on elections to the Coordination Council, defining the procedure for organising and conducting the vote.

A total of 42 out of 80 delegates took part in the vote. Of these, 40 voted in favour and two abstained, the Coordination Council’s press service reported.

According to the regulations, voting is to take place from 11 to 17 May inclusive. The elections will be held online, from 00:00 on the first day of voting until 24:00 on the last day, Minsk time.

Voting will be conducted on the basis of lists submitted by electoral entities, thereby establishing a proportional electoral system. A minimum threshold of 3% is set for participation in the allocation of mandates.

Participants in the elections are electoral entities. Electoral entities may include political parties, founding committees of parties, civil society organisations, factions of the current convocation of the Coordination Council, their coalitions, as well as groups of citizens formed to participate in the elections and meeting the requirements of the election regulations.

Each electoral entity must:

• have its own name;
• have a political programme for a period not shorter than the term of office of the new convocation of the Coordination Council and declare the values (principles or ideology) on which it is based;
• submit a list of at least 10 candidates for delegates to the Coordination Council who have agreed to participate in the elections;
• ensure a gender quota of at least 40% of representatives of the less represented gender from the total number of candidates on the list.

The gender quota may be reduced to 20% by decision of the Election Commission for those electoral entities that are reasonably unable to meet the 40% quota, including organisations in the security sector, veterans’ organisations of Belarusian volunteers, and other similar organisations.

Each voter has one vote and may vote for one list of electoral entities.

The next step in preparing the elections to the Coordination Council will be the formation of the Election Commission.